Odds and Ends

We love "helping" Mommy fold clothes!


Stepping in some big shoes...



Anna as a sheep


Jacob loves to sing (all day long!)


All that dirt is now one muddy, mucky mess. At least the pool water is clean!


It was a busy week last week with Anna and Jacob off to camp. I found myself chief entertainmnet for Sarah, a role I'm not used to filling. If Anna ever goes off to school, her sister will be going with her!!! Jacob and Anna loved their drama camp and enjoyed performing as usual at the Friday night performance. Sarah and Caleb did play some together during the week which was fun to watch but her patience with her little brother is not the same as Anna's and play time didn't always last very long. They did enjoy climbing on the bed while I was folding clothes though!
On the pool front, we're beginning to think we should have built an ark instead of a pool. We had hoped to be in the pool by now but landscaping and fencing has been pushed back due to torrential downpours that come with the daily thunderstorms we've had. Still holding out hope that we'll be good to go for the weekend!

Progress

July 2007, 22 months
April 2008, 31 months



Recently I was looking at some old photos of Caleb that were taken about a year ago and am overwhelmed at how far our little guy has come in 8 months. For those who see him regularly, it is easy to forget how far behind he was when we brought him home. For those of you who don't see Caleb on a normal basis, I wanted to share some of the progress he's made lately. Besides having to buy him yet another pair of sandals since the last ones are getting too small (this is pair #3 for the summer and we are only on June!), he was assessed yesterday for his IEP. In most areas, he is at a 24 month level (in a few, like language, he is only at a 16 month level since he still can't speak and can only sign and make syllable/vowel sounds). This is huge considering that he was at a 10 month old level when we brought him home in November. As I'm typing this, I've had to fish him off the kitchen table twice - did I mention he likes to climb? He still qualifies for services and has a long way to go but his progress is nothing short of remarkable. God is pretty good, huh?!

When you have sisters...

For the record, he really LOVES to play with cars and balls but this was just too cute :)

Almost there....

Despite heavy rains and delays with a particular subcontractor, we got plaster done today and it is supposed to be filled with water late this afternoon. Pool furniture came yesterday and the fence and landscaping are scheduled as well. We might actually get this thing done before July4!

Dance, dance, dance

It is dance recital time! The girls both did wonderfully well this past Saturday in their routines. They both had great classes and had a really great teacher. We were so proud of them!

A tale of two brothers

Sometimes a picture says it all....

My addiction

Hello. My name is Melissa and I'm addicted to my laptop. I knew I really liked my laptop but I've been without it for 3 weeks and I realized just how much I used it. Having to go downstairs and fight the kids for the desktop just wasn't as much fun and because of that I've been behind on posting and emails (sorry!). Now it is back and I'm a happy camper. I still don't have a new camera but my mom is being generous with hers. I guess that is my next new purchase!

quick update

Sorry for the lapse in posts - my laptop is down and being repaired. Getting to the downstairs computer just isn't as convenient! Combine that with trying to get school finished for the year, the pool, Ken working insane hours - well, you get the picture. Hoping that several of these things get tied up in the next few weeks and that our summer schedule is such that I can do a better job here.
Caleb continues to amaze everyone with his progress. He LOVES music and dances and sings to himself all day long. He is progressing well with his therapy and we will be adding a speech class for the summer. He has the orneriest (is that a real word?) smile and loves his new shoes (we had to buy him new shoes yet again since his feet have grown!). He is now up to 22 pounds and is in size 18 month clothes (some 24 month) and a size 5 shoe. That is still pretty tiny for an almost 3 year old but considering that just 8 months ago he was 16 pounds, in 9-12 month clothes and a size 2 shoe, the growth is amazing.
The girls have dance recital this coming week - hopefully I'll have a new camera (yeah, that broke too)and my laptop back to post pics!